the (mostly) little things in seo team building that matter most

#C3NY

THE (MOSTLY) LITTLE THINGS IN SEO TEAM BUILDING THAT MATTER MOST

Josh Braaten, Associate Director of Inbound Marketing, Collegis Education

#C3NY2

JOSH BRAATEN

Associate Director of Inbound Marketing

@JLBraaten

CollegisEducation.com

Facebook.com/JoshBraaten

Josh.Braaten@CollegisEducation.com

Collegis Education

#C3NY3

I RECENTLY NEEDED HELP WITH MY FENCE

#C3NY4

THE CLASSIC “ASK A FRIEND” FOR HELP

Hey there fellas…

Mind coming over and helping me paint my fence all day

Saturday?

I’ll play some tunes, order a jumbo pizza, and load up a cooler full of refreshments.

#C3NY5

WOULD THIS APPROACH WORK BETTER?

Hey there fellas…

Mind coming over and helping me paint my fence all day

Saturday?

I will give you a share of $37.29.

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THE LITTLE THINGS MATTER WITH FRIENDS

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TURNS OUT, THE LITTLE THINGS MATTER WHEN BUILDING A CRACK SEO TEAM, TOO.

#C3NY

A CHANGE IN THE WORK FORCE REQUIRES A CHANGE IN THE WAY WE MANAGE IT

#C3NY9

GODIN: COGS VS. ARTISTS

• 20th Century Required Compliance • Consistency was critical to success• Top-down management drove results• Free-thinking discouraged

• 21st Century Requires Independence• Creativity and independence critical to success• Individual-level performance and ideas drive results• Free-thinking and entrepreneurialism encouraged

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THEN: OBEDIENCE AT SCHOOL AND WORK

Image credit: flickrImage credit: flickr

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NOW: ARTISTS CRAVE FREEDOM AT WORK

Fully-loaded staff snack area at Google NYC complete with nutritional values

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THEN: WORK WAS SUPPOSED TO BE WORK

Employees worked where they could and got social fulfillment/actualization somewhere else.

Self ActualizationEsteem Needs

Social Needs

Safety Needs

Basic Needs

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NOW: ARTISTS WANT MORE THAN MONEY

Today’s employees look to their careers to provide fulfillment on many different levels.

Self ActualizationEsteem Needs

Social Needs

Safety Needs

Basic Needs

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THEN: COMMODITY WORKERS & WAGES

Wages and margins were defined by a simple employee supply curve based on fiscal accounting

$-

$20.00

$40.00

$60.00

$80.00

$100.00

$120.00

Available Workers in the Market Place by Wage

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NOW: ARTISTS CRAVE FIT ALONG WITH PAY

Social accounting perks like benefits, culture, and spirit can help shift the supply curve.

$-

$20.00

$40.00

$60.00

$80.00

$100.00

$120.00

Available Workers in the Market Place by Wage

The employee supply curve can be augmented

#C3NY

PUTTING THE GAURDRAILS ON

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WORK SHOULD BE FUN, NOT A VACATION

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START WITH A HIGH BAR FOR “SPECIAL”

• David McCullough, Wellesley High• 2012 commencement speech• “You are not special”• “By definition there can be only one

best. You’re it or you’re not.”• Start with this expectation for artists

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FREEDOM REQUIRES “B&W GOALS”

• “Black & White Goals”• Are tied directly to business outcomes• Easy-to-define key performance indicator (KPI)• Clearly measureable and available in reports• Leave no room to question success/failure

• Not a B&W Goal: “Let’s increase leads”• B&W Goal: “We’ll increase leads by 50% in Q4

to 1,224 total leads• B&W Goals support building a team of artists

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SEARCHLIGHT HELPS TRACK KPIS

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SEARCHLIGHT KEEPS US ACCOUNTABLE

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TRELLO DOCUMENTS OKRS AND KPIS

OKRs: objectives, and key results; KPIs: Key performance indicator(s), or how you’ll measure

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HOLDING TODAY’S TEAMS ACCOUNTABLE

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YOU’RE NOT ALWAYS GOING TO HIT GOALS

…but admitting when you’ve lost is important to make the victories means something

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TRADITIONAL FEEDBACK IS STRESSFUL

Image credit: SystemsJournal

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USE A SCARF TO AVOID POOR FEEDBACK

Know these neuro triggers and be sensitive to them when delivering feedback.

Status

Certainty

Autonomy

Relatedness

Fairness

S

C

A

R

F

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INSTEAD, BE A COUNSELOR

The most effective feedback is the kind you don’t have to even give.

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THINKERS THINK WHEN THEY FEEL SAFE

This approach promotes oxytocin and dopamine, neuroplasticity, and greater creativity and art

#C3NY

MAKING THINGS FUN

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LITTLE THINGS CAN ADD EXCITEMENT

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GAMIFY YOUR TEAM’S WORK WITH TRACKER

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VIRTUAL PERSONAL ASSISTANTS FOR ALL

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INVEST MORE IN LINE WITH YOUR “WHY”

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GETTING PAID TWICE TO GO ON HOLIDAY

• Moz has a “Paid/Paid Vacation”• Proactively avoid burn-out• Up to $3,000 expenses reimbursed• On top of existing paid vacation• Resets every year• Fantastic recruiting tool• “Too good to be true” feeling• People get engaged, eloped, and have the time

of their lives, thanks to Moz

#C3NY35

– LEAH CANDELARIA HEAD OF TEAM HAPPINESS, MOZ

“IT’S OUR WAY OF BEING ROMANTIC WITH OUR PEOPLE.”

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GREAT COMPANIES DON’T THINK TWICE

• Zappos generously invests in their staff • Monthly contest for best service:

• Winner receives $150• Parking spot• Parade in winner’s honor• Complete with a cape

• Breakfast, lunch and snacks• Nap rooms and “laughter yoga”• Up to $6,000 in adoption-fee reimbursement

#C3NY

GO HOME AND TRY SOME LITTLE THINGS

#C3NY38

…OR AT LEAST START WITH A PIZZA

#C3NY39

THANK YOU

Josh Braaten

@JLBraaten

CollegisEducation.com

Facebook.com/JoshBraaten

Josh.Braaten@CollegisEducation.com

Collegis Education – Higher Education Marketing & More